The last Point: A real clash of the dynasties in Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Final

Dynasties are a curious phenomenon when it comes to the GAA - the love of the underdogs almost overwhelms all other considerations - just look at the sympathy for Fenagh St Caillins missing out on this year's Connacht Gold SFC Final - but there is nothing celebrated quite like a dynasty.

Kerry are revered for their status as the game's top dogs, Kilkenny occupy the top spot in hurling while Limerick & Dublin have both felt the cold wind of antipathy that accompanies a team that has established a dynasty.

Here in Leitrim, dynasties are an outlier - not because they don't happen but rather because the small population base somehow makes it harder to achieve the sort of runs that Crossmaglen Rangers or Portlaoise or Ballyhale Shamrocks have achieved in their own counties, the anomaly being that no club has ever won the Leitrim Senior Football Championship five times in a row.

I immediately add a disclaimer - for the purposes of this column, we're focusing on the Men's Football but when it comes to dynasties, the Ladies game has a tradition. Fenagh were first up with five out of six titles between 1982 and 1987 while Glencar Manorhamilton are now looking to claim a five-in-a-row.

But the ultimate in Leitrim dynasties resides in Aughawillan where their Ladies team not only won a five in a row between 1997 and 2001, they followed it up with an incredible seven in a row between 2003 and 2009, winning an astonishing 12 out of 13 titles.

Better not forget Carrick hurlers who won a remarkable 12 titles in a row between 1999 and 2010 and before anyone gives out that there were only two teams contesting the competition, the Carrick men actually beat four different teams in their magical run, one of whom was literally the rest of the county's hurling community in 2005!

Some will argue that the depth of competition in the Ladies and Hurling is nowhere near the same as the men’s game and there’s a validity to that argument. But you also have to point out that down through the years, some clubs drew players from outside what is now their catchment area so the same could be said of some of the historic teams in the men's games.

In terms of the men's senior football competition, Mohill are the latest to lay a dynastic claim as they contest their ninth Senior Final in 12 years, a remarkable feat given that the spread of contenders has never been wider than it has in the last quarter century but curiously, they are still seeking to win back to back titles! Does that negate the consistent excellence that has seen them, since 2013, line out behind the Kiltubrid Pipe Band on nine of the 12 County Final days?

Historically, Mohill's opponents next Sunday are the kingpins of Leitrim club football - Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins appear in their third final in six campaigns, hardly a world beating record given that they didn't reach a final between 1998 and 2019. But in the annals of Gaelic games in the county, nobody comes close to their remarkable County Final appearance record.

Twenty times they've lifted the Fenagh Cup and between 1956 and 1991, they appeared in a remarkable 20 finals out of 36 and brought the Cup back to Ceannabo 13 times. Delve deeper into those figures and two distinct teams emerge - from 1964 to 1975, O'Heslins appeared in the final eight times while their team of the 80s and early 90s saw action on County Final day eight out of ten times between 1982 and 1991, winning on four occasions.

Mohill aren't in quite the same category as their opponents  today (Sunday) but consider that between 1971 and 2012, they didn’t appear in any decider. Yet with four wins out of nine finals over 12 years, a win next Sunday would genuinely elevate them into a discussion about the greatest club teams ever to grace the game here in Leitrim.

Tradition obviously plays a role but Mohill came from virtually nowhere to contest a final in 2013, losing to St Mary's but setting in train an expectation of contesting County Finals that continues to this day.

We've mentioned Ballinamore but their neighbours in Aughawillan will loudly proclaim their claims to that crown and with 10 final appearances and six wins between 1983 and 1994, they're well entitled to. They added three more over the past ten years but what strikes me most is the 20 years between 1994 and 2014 without a final appearance and then they come out to win three in five years.

There are other claimants to the throne - the legendary Melvin Gaels team of the 1950s and 60s appeared in ten finals between 1956 and 1968, winning five in that time before going out of existence in the 1970s for a short period. They've flitted between the Senior & Intermediate grades over the years but tradition dictates that when they have a good team, like in 1998 and 2012, they appear in and win County Senior finals.

What about their neighbours Glencar Manorhamilton? Only two clubs have won four titles in a row as the north Leitrim men did it with a team for the ages between 2008 and 2011 only for their neighbours Melvin Gaels to spike their dreams of immortality - funny how that works, isn't it? A team that hadn't contested a Senior Final in ten years and had been relegated to

Intermediate two years previously resurrects itself to wreck their fierce rivals' hopes of achieving the five in a row.
Gorvagh won four in a row almost 100 years ago only for Annaduff to spike their bid for the fabled five in a row, reiterating just how hard it is to reach five finals in a row, let alone win all five. Or what about the Cloone men of 1942 to 51? Eight finals out of ten campaigns and only one loss in that time - where do you rank that team?

More recently, a wondrously talented Allen Gaels appeared in six finals over ten years, winning five and generally considered one of the best ever to lace boots in the county. So how exactly do you compare and contrast the different eras or is it just plain, cold hard numbers when it comes to establishing a dynasty?

Right now, the footballers of Mohill and Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins are concentrating solely on a single solitary match but let nobody be fooled, players are acutely aware of their club's history and exactly what winning the Fenagh Cup means. History will be made, regardless of who wins, next Sunday but when it comes to the pantheon of greats, who will step forward and stake their claim!

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